FIH Pro League 2021/22: Coach Janneke Schopman and skipper Savita Punia speak about team's performance so far

The Indian women's hockey team have ascended three spots to finish the Indian leg of the ongoing FIH Pro League 2021/22 matches at the top of the points table.

The Savita Punia-led Indian side are placed first in the table with 22 points, leaving the Netherlands behind. The Dutch are currently placed second with 19 points from eight matches.

Following the announcement regarding the cancelation of the two-legged tie between India and England, the Indian women's team have been awarded six points allotted for the tie.

The England women's team had to cancel their trip due to a high number of COVID cases and injuries affecting the team.

Speaking about the Indian side's home leg campaign performance in the FIH Pro League, India's chief coach Janneke Schopman said:

"We want to grow and I am not necessarily looking at other teams. I am looking at ourselves. And, if we look at the initial games we played against China in Oman and then here against Spain, I think we made a lot of steps. We did a lot of things better as compared to initial matches, but still lots to learn, lots to improve."

Schopman further added:

"I am quite happy with how we've grown in managing the game, understanding and the awareness of what we need to do and when we want to do, so this was great for us to play these home games and learn from them. We've played our Pro League matches against quality teams, and it's been great learning for us. It is really helping us prepare for the upcoming tournaments, especially the World Cup."

The Indian side ended their home leg campaign with one win and one loss each against the World No. 1 side the Netherlands. Speaking about the team's performance, Indian skipper Savita Punia said:

"They played well as compared to last game. Both the teams got many chances. It was a tight game and I think we couldn't convert our chances. And, in shootouts, it is always 50-50, but I think it's a part of the learning process."

FIH Pro League 2022: Indian Women's teams upcoming fixtures

The Indian women's hockey team will take on Belgium in a two-legged tie in the FIH Pro League at the Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein in Antwerp, Belgium in June.

Match 1: Belgium vs India

Date: June 11, 2022 Timings: 5:30pm IST

Match 2: Belgium vs India

Date: June 12, 2022 Timings: 5:30pm IST

Streaming details:

All FIH Pro League 2022 matches are being telecast live on Star Sports Select 2 and Star Sports Select 2 HD channels. Matches are also available for live streaming on the Hotstar app.